Where do I start?

[CutiePatootie]

Okay! So this would be my first dollhouse, it's a Vintage 1985 The Whitney Wood Doll House Kit #51501. Now, technically it isn't exactly my first as my sister and I long ago tried to start with a garfield, yeaaaaah that didn't go very well LMAO, but here I am back on the scene! So, back to the question I had at hand. Are the resources I have enough, or am I needing more to properly build this?

 

What I currently have: Wood glue, stain, some clamps to keep them in place though I might ask for recommendations as they aren't made for miniature dollhouses, and painters tape. 

 

I'm going to be getting paint, but I'm having a hard time deciding if I want to do wallpaper in some rooms or if I want to pain other rooms a different color so I'm a bit all over the place. I do know I need maybe a paint roller. 

 

A few more questions I have on hand are, what do you guys recommend I start with? Should I paint the walls their colors first or paint them after? Is wallpaper something a beginner should do? If I wanted to add carpet, just how the hell do I go about doing that?

 

Thanks! Honestly any and all recommendations are VERY much helpful as this is my FIRST house. 

[KathieB]

Hi, Cutie, and welcome to the forum. Don't let the enormity of the challenge overwhelm you. First of all, assemble the house using tape, not glue, to hold the pieces together. That will give you a better idea of how you might like to decorate and ascertain that all of the pieces fit. It will also show you if there are spots that may be difficult to decorate after assembling, that you should paint or wallpaper before reassembling with glue.

Paint? Wallpaper? Apply before assembly or after? --- these are all questions that will answer themselves as you proceed. You will find that there is not one way to work that is better than others. What works for you, what is in your comfort zone, is the key. Keep in mind that even if you step outside your zone and mess up, it doesn't take as much effort to do a renovation in a doll house as it might in a real house.  

 

Regarding paint: Sample sizes from Walmart work well, as do craft paints. Avoid high gloss --- it reveals irregularities in the surface that can be annoying.  The areas to be painted are small enough to use a paintbrush, but I have sometimes used a small roller.

Enjoy the journey!

 

[havanaholly]

Welcome to the little family first of all.  Did any instructions come with your kit?  If so, reading over them will help give you some ideas on how to proceed. 

I recommend putting the house, at least the shell, into dry fit, so you can adjust for fit (sanding/ shaving tabs & slots, etc) and look it over to see what it wants stained (you can paint over stain, but stain over paint never looks right) vs paint or paper (regardless of which you do you will want first to prime any surface you want to paint or hang paper on; wood contains natural as well as any added chemicals that will discolor your paint or paper over time).  IMO a paint roller is overkill; a paintbrush will work just fine, but do wipe the excess off and plan on a few light coats, even of your primer, letting each one dry in between; don't just glop it on.  One of the things I do in dry fit is to draw a line down each corner where edges of walls meet and around window and door openings I lay their trim parts and trace around them with the pencil (#2 is just fine) and then cut strips of painters' tape the width of the wood thickness and mask off any surfaces where I need to glue things together; wood glue is made to adhere bare wood to bare wood.  For primer I use white flat interior latex paint.  I tint it with acrylic paints from the tubes if I want a particular color.

For gluing transparent plastic window and door inserts I use Elmer's all-purpose white glue because it dries clear.

For wallpaper the big box craft stores offer enough different scrapbook papers in small designs to paper several Garfields, so you should have good luck with that.  Dover Publications used to put out two or three books of dollhouse wallpapers that I have used.  I have also been known to use gift wrap, foil wine bottle bags and fabric to cover dollhouse walls.  For most papers I use the premixed wallpaper paste that comes in tubs from the hardware store.

For floors you can $pend the $$$ to buy the dollhouse flooring.  I used to scribe "boards" directly onto the floor parts of the kit and stain them.  These days I stain them and then iron on wood veneer strips I cut into "board" size strips & lengths that I buy in rolls from the hardware store and after they're in place I stain them.

AS to the order to proceed, KathieB has given you very good suggestions.  This is a hobby (a somewhat addictive one), so sit back and enjoy the ride and don't sweat any fouling up.  Mistakes are learning opportunities.

[CutiePatootie]

Thank you both so much, I truly appreciate all the help! While I won't be getting into lighting right now, when I eventually do get lighting done, what would you guys recommend? 

 

Also, is there any specific place to buy things like dollhouse floor, like are there cheap ones, or could I maybe cheat and use paper that is made to look like the floor, or will that come out looking off?

[fov]

Welcome! If you use the forum's search feature you'll probably find past threads that answer some of your questions. There's one about lighting here:

Miniatures.com is a good resource for all sorts of supplies, including flooring made from thin wood veneer. That type of flooring can be pricey, though, and paper that looks like flooring is definitely an option. Here's a recent thread about that:

I've made my own flooring out of "micro veneer" at a fraction of the cost of the ready made sheets. I posted about it on my blog here: https://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=8018

The eBay link in the blog post is no longer good, but you can still get the micro veneer here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/274849013971

You can also make floors out of skinny sticks or coffee stirrers: https://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?p=2074

 

Also, the More Minis blog has a lot of good info for beginners: https://moreminis.blogspot.com/

She has step-by-step builds for a lot of dollhouses. The Whitney isn't one of them, but looking at the others might help you understand what to do when. (I also blog about the process of building dollhouses, but my posts aren't as organized and methodical as Gina's are!)

[havanaholly]

This is the wood veneer I get at Lowe's:  https://www.lowes.com/pd/White-Birch-Veneer/3603330  It takes Min Wax stain beautifully (I apply stain with a piece of old tee shirt)..  Here's how it looks in my Washington 2.0 farmhouse: